My 8 month old cousin can't fall asleep on his own. Whenever he gets tired, he screams and screams. He can't be consoled. My mom and I babysit him for 8 hours each day, and have been trying to teach him to fall asleep on his own but it's not working. My aunt (his mom) constantly holds him. She never lets him fall asleep on his own. This has been going on since he was 2 months old. Do any of you know how to teach an 8 month old to soothe himself and fall asleep? I know that it'll be hard because my aunt and her husband aren't trying at home. I just want him to have a semi-consistent sleeping schedule when he's with us.

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Have you tried things like dimming the lights, playing lullabys, Baby Einstein DVD, warm bath w/ one of the calming body washes, etc.? Are you sure he's tired? Can you just let him fall asleep in his bouncy seat when he starts to look sleepy? My daughter used to drift off when she was ready. But there were times when I wanted my son to fall asleep by a certain time, so I did this thing where I would sort of smack him on the forehead (lightly LOL) and then let my fingers run down his face. He loved it and would be out for the count after about two minutes of it.

Spiderlashes, I'm sure that he's tired because he yawns and his eyes get heavy. Normally, when he's tired and I put him in his bouncy seat, he won't fall asleep. I hadn't tried any of the methods you mentioned until today. NvmbrCurlss, I thought about that! According to his mom, he doesn't get a lot of sleep at night and hardly naps, so it's very likely that he's overtired once nap time comes. I've created a routine for him.

Now for the great news! Today, I laid him in his bed right when he yawned/rubbed his eyes, and he was in a dimly lit room (thanks, Spiderlashes!!!) I hummed a tune, and gently patted him, and he fell asleep! He slept until his mom arrived (50 minutes) and she woke him, but he could have slept longer. I plan on following this same routine consistently, while slowly taking away the humming and patting, and pretty soon he should be falling asleep on his own. I'm going to tell his mom about the new routine! Thanks for the help!!!

Another question: Can babies get stressed? My cousin's parents don't have a stable relationship and they fight and argue a lot. I'm wondering if he can sense their emotions?

Spiderlashes, I'm sure that he's tired because he yawns and his eyes get heavy. Normally, when he's tired and I put him in his bouncy seat, he won't fall asleep. I hadn't tried any of the methods you mentioned until today. NvmbrCurlss, I thought about that! According to his mom, he doesn't get a lot of sleep at night and hardly naps, so it's very likely that he's overtired once nap time comes. I've created a routine for him.

Now for the great news! Today, I laid him in his bed right when he yawned/rubbed his eyes, and he was in a dimly lit room (thanks, Spiderlashes!!!) I hummed a tune, and gently patted him, and he fell asleep! He slept until his mom arrived (50 minutes) and she woke him, but he could have slept longer. I plan on following this same routine consistently, while slowly taking away the humming and patting, and pretty soon he should be falling asleep on his own. I'm going to tell his mom about the new routine! Thanks for the help!!!

Another question: Can babies get stressed? My cousin's parents don't have a stable relationship and they fight and argue a lot. I'm wondering if he can sense their emotions?

Originally Posted by ElizabethFaith

Yes, babies can def get stressed. And it's worse for them bc they can't communicate their feelings and you can't verbally console them. So all they can do is cry and then internalize the rest. IDK that they can "sense" emotions but they can def be startled by shouting and door slamming and being put down/picked up less gently than they should be.